Love always finds you when you least expect it
by Hecate28
Summary: One shot. Based on a scene from Series 9, 'Ghosts'. How exactly did Leo meet his wife?


**Author's note: This is based on a scene from Series 9 , the episode is called 'Ghosts' and is from the scene where Leo tells Nikki that he met Teresa at their sixth form and they'd been together ever since.**

A sixteen year old Leo Dalton walked along the silent corridors of the school. Most pupils had long departed but Leo had stayed behind help set up an experiment for his chemistry class tomorrow. He stopped at his locker and fumbled around in his blazer pocket for his key and cursed slightly when it fell to the ground with a clatter. As he fumbled around trying to get the old lock to open he was vaguely aware of a disturbance close by. He blocked it out of his mind as the old locker finally opened and a pile of battered looking science textbooks fell to the ground narrowly avoiding landing in his feet.

"Get away from me!" Leo heard a shrill voice not too far away from him and as he turned his head to try and pin point the disturbance

A few seconds later a young girl hurtled round the corner followed by a burley looking lad

"I said get away from me!" she screamed but the boy grabbed her roughly and shook her

"Don't ever speak to me like that!" he growled

Leo glanced around and saw that the three of them were alone. All it took was another rough shake from the lad before Leo jumped into action

"Leave her alone" he said stepping towards the pair

"What business is it of your Dalton?" the lad sneered and Leo immediately recognised him as Thomas Walton; the very definition of trouble if there ever was one.

Thomas thought has was God's gift to the opposite sex and never seemed to take no for an answer and it seemed that today was no occasion

"I said leave her alone" Leo said firmly and he was sure he saw a grateful smile from the young lady still firmly under Walton's grasp

"What are you going to do about it?" Thomas growled "Hit me with one of your textbooks?" he said motioning to the pile which Leo had abounded on the floor

"One last chance" Leo said not quite sure where the boldness had come from "Let go of her"

"And what if I say no?" Thomas chuckled mistily

"Fine" Leo said firmly "You asked for it" and with that he stepped up to Thomas and swung a punch.

The punch wasn't strong or very accurate but it was enough to knock Walton off his balance. He stumbled backwards and loosened his grip on the young girl who jumped out of the way. Leo turned to check on her but soon felt a force collide with his jaw, he fell to the floor and saw Thomas standing above him fuming

"You'll pay for that!" Walton snarled "You two are welcome to each other" he growled stalking off down the corridor and out of sight

"Are you okay?" the girl crouched down beside Leo who was rubbing his jaw

Leo glanced up at her and it was the first time he saw her clearly. She hand blonde hair which framed her kind looking face, as she leant over him Leo could smell her flowery perfume

"I'm fine thanks" he said getting to his feet

"Thank you" she said gratefully "I'm Teresa by the way" she said extending her hand

"Leo Dalton" he said accepting the graceful feminine form

"I know who you are" she said shyly "We're in the same biology class"

"Really?" Leo said slightly shocked that he couldn't have noticed her before

Teresa laughed "You get lost in the world of science Leo, I've never seen anyone so enthusiastic"

"One of my many faults" he shook his head

"Not at all" Teresa corrected him "Right then I saw no faults in you Leo, only virtue"

"I'm not sure about that" Leo said modestly

"I am" Teresa said leaning up to kiss him on his bruised face "I'm sorry you had to get involved. Thomas couldn't take no for an answer"

"I couldn't just leave you there could I?" Leo smiled feeling a blush creep up his neck

"And who said chivalry was dead?" Teresa said with a musical laugh

Leo turned away to pick up his abandoned textbooks sure he was doing a rather good impression of a beetroot

"I want to repay you somehow" Teresa said

"No need" Leo smiled "I was only doing what any other decent human being would do"

"Even so" she said "It would make me feel so much better if you went for a coffee with me"

"I don't know…"

"Or a coke…" she shrugged "…at least then we could get some ice for your jaw" she said and Leo let out a chuckle

"You've persuaded me" he said with a grin

"Good" she said and she linked her arm round his as they left the building

As Leo looked across at the young girl who beamed at him he knew from that instant he had fallen for the girl who would become his wife and nothing could ever tear them apart.


End file.
